THE HARVEST IN CALIFORNIA.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5456, 21 September 1878, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE HARVEST IN CALIFORNIA.

The San Francisco Bulletin of August Ist has the following ia reference to the grass harvest in California :—“ The promise of an abundant harvest in California the present season has, in a great measure, been unfulfilled. Much of the late sown grain turns out to be a partial and in many instances an entire failure. The straw grew rank enough, and it was thought the crop would be a good one ; but the grain failed to fill, and whole fields may be seen with none of that drooping appearance of well-filled wheat heads. All of the early sown grain in this section is turning out well, and the crop will be nearly up to an average. It is difficult always to determine J exactly when is the best time for seeding. The rich bottom lands in this valley are usually so foul with mustard that farmers are disposed to delay their seeding until late in the season, in order to give the grain the advantage over the mustard. But we are of opinion thatearly seeding, with the chance of a crop of mustard occasionally, would pay better, one year with another. It is certainly always best on land free from mustard. We crowd our lands too much in this country. Wheat after wheat, for a series of years, without giving the soil a chance to rest, will soon wear put the best of land. It is a goad thing for us that a dry season comes along occasionally to remind our farmers of their duty in this respect. It would be better to summer-fallow for wheat, which would soon destroy all foul stuff in the soil, and then seed the land dry, or as soon as possible after the first rains. Thus would the grain have tbe benefit of all the winter rain, and a failure would be unknown. Already what were once regarded as some of the best grain lands in this county are proving the most hazardous ventures for the renter. They have been cropped, year after year, until the grainproducing properties of the soil are exhausted, and no amount of rain or tillage can cause them them to produce more than the ghost of a crop. These lands need rest and refertiilziug. They should be used for sheep or hog ranges for a few years, and then summerfallowed, or rather winter-fallowed, which is the proper term in this country, and then seeded to wheat with the first fall rain. The result would astonish their managers. It requires as much intellectual capacity and good solid sense to till land properly and successfully as it does to run a newspaper, and yet there is no business in which meausualiy mix so small an amount of brains. The country needs more good farmers. In reference to the Chicago wheat crop a local journal of July 26th says : —lntense interest is manifested in the result of the great corner in wheat now being ran ■ by Milwaukee and Chicago commission merchants. The price has been steadily advanced tor two weeks, with a prospect of being maintained at the present rate, or at at still higher figures, daring the remainder of the month. The visible supply of wheat is now about four million buahejs, and short sales for August delivery aggregate nearly twenty millions. Meanwhile, although some damage has been done to crops in this section, it is believed no wide-spread or great injury exists. :